The technique of thermal application to external body parts for medical treatment is ancient, with literally thousands of patents and publications teaching the application of heat or cold to localized areas of the body utilizing heating pads, ice packs, or other materials or devices.
Examples of patents that may be of at least some cursory relevance to the present invention include:
______________________________________ Patent Number Inventor Date of Issue ______________________________________ 5653741 Grant 08/05/1997 5591162 Fletcher 01/07/1997 5431622 Pyrozyk et al 07/11/1995 5331688 Kiyohara 07/26/1994 5190539 Fletcher 03/02/1993 5097828 Deutsch 03/24/1992 4937435 Goss et al 06/26/1990 4860748 Chiurco 08/29/1989 4614191 Perler 09/30/1986 4432363 Kakegawa 02/21/1984 4005531 Weintraub 02/01/1977 3871117 Richmond et al 03/18/1975 ______________________________________
Plantar Fasciitis is a common condition in humans caused by an inflammation of the arch muscle or large ligament beneath the foot. Common treatment methods include surgery, shoe orthotics, as well as the application of heat or cold packs thereto. However, the utilization of conventional ice packs or other devices for providing localized thermal application require the user to remain relatively stationary, and are thereby inconvenient and troublesome to use.
There has been some development of gel insoles which might be cooled and placed into the shoe of the user, but such is not contemplated in the present therapy, and would not work satisfactorily, as the insole would generally equalize to the temperature inside the shoe in a short time. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,871,117, or, for heating, U.S. Pat. No. 5,331,688 for an insole foot warmer. U.S. Pat. No. 4,005,531 teaches a shoe having a sole adapted to receive a "cool container" of ice or the like.
However, the prior art is not believed to teach a system which provides a portable thermal effect to the area to be treated, which allows the user to remain mobile and comfortable, while providing a relatively consistent, regulated temperature application.
Heat pipes are believed to have been developed in conjunction with the U.S. Space Program, and contemplate a relatively simple and efficient, yet high tech approach at providing thermal transfer from one location to another. Now commonly utilized in the computer industry to transfer heat away from a computer chip in an isolated location, for example, in a laptop computer, to a heat sink, heat pipes heave not been found to be utilized extensively in other fields, including medicine.
Such use in medicine appears to have been limited to cryogenic probes and the like, for localized hypothermic (or in come cases hyperthermic) therapies within the body, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,591,162 for treatment of cancer tumors, nerve injuries, etc. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 4,432,363 (heat pipe used to transmit energy to recharge a pacemaker battery), and U.S. Pat. No. 5190539 (heat pipe catheter).
In addition to ice packs and heating pads, the prior art contemplates other, more sophisticated thermal devices, such as, for example, Peltier effect solid state heating or cooling systems which generally include a heat sink placed in communication with the body. In addition, there has been taught "soft" Pelteir effect pads, some contemplating metal fabric or mesh U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,937,435, 5,653,741 and 5,097,828, as opposed to solid metal sinks.
However, none of the prior art devices taught, contemplated, or suggested the system of the present invention, which allows localized thermal application to various parts of the body, without reducing mobility or use of that body part.